Method of and apparatus for impregnating material



L T. FREDERICK.

.v APPLICATION FILED MAY 6.1919- 7 1,414,462. Patented M yZ, 1922.

M h I l l l l W WI.- mm H m H Mn A w l 2 U Y B L. T. FREDERICK.-

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS-FOR IMPREGNATING MATERIAL.

1 APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1919- 462.

' Patented May 2, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

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KDUISS T. FREDERICK, OF 'WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO WESTING- EIG'USE ELECTRIC 82 MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

IflETI-IOD 6F AND APPARATU$ FOR IMPREG-NATING- MATERIAL.

Application filed May 6,

Toy aZZ whom it may concern:

- Be it known that 1, Lotus T. FREDERICK, a'citizenof the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Alla gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of andApparatus for impregnata method of impregnating fibrous sheet ma- I state.

approximately 60% in weight.

terial, such as paper, with a binder in a liquid state which may be subsequently dried to an intermediate state and may then be hardened, by a further application of heat, to a substantially insoluble and infusible My invention contemplates the employment of a phenolic condensation product as a binder but other similar binders may be employed.

Heretofore, a method employed for impregnating paper with a phenolic condensation product consisted in immersing the paper in a solution of a phenolic condensation roduct, after which the paper was subected to pressure to remove. the excess liquid and then dried. Paper or similar sheet material, treated in this manner, usually gains In view of this, one object of my invention is to provide apparatus which may be employed in impregnating sheet material, such as paper, with abinder in such manner-thatthe employment of a solvent in the binder may be avoided. 1

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a method by which fibrous material may be impregnated and in which pressure may be employed-to hasten the impregnating process. I

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illus- "trated in the drawings, in the several views of which corresponding numerals indicate Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2,1922.

1919. Serial No. 295,192.

like parts, and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a machine which may be employed in impregnating fibrous material in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

In practising my invention, 1 may employ a machine, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which comprises a plurality of upright frame members 1 to which may be secured a plurality of horizontal beams 2 by any suitable means, such as angle irons 3. Shafts 4 and 5 may be mounted, one at each side of the machine, upon hearing members 6 supported by the horizontal beams 2. Each of the shafts 4 and 5 may have rigidly mounted thereon corresponding sprocket wheels 7 which may be operatively connected by a chain 8 which is twisted so that the sprocket wheels and, consequently, shafts shallrotate in opposite directions. A. plurality of similar sprocket wheels 9 may be mounted upon each of the shafts 4L and 5 near the bearing members 6 and each of these sprocket wheels may support a chain 10 secured, at one end, to a liquid-retaining tank 11 and, at its other end, to a suitable counter weight 12.

As a means for raising and lowering the tank 11 I may provide a suitable sprocket wheel 13 rigidly mounted upon the shaft 4. and connected, by a chain 14, to a sprocket wheel 15 mounted upon a shaft 16 which also carries a worm wheel 17 and which is supported by a bearing member 18 mounted .upon one of a pluralityof horizontal beams 19 disposed at the sides of the machine. A shaft 20, which. is provided, at one end, with a worm which engages the worm wheel 17, is supported by the bearing member 18 and has a hand wheel 21 mounted upon its opposite end. It will be apparent from the above description that the tank 11 may be raised or lowered, as desired, by operating the hand wheel 21.

. A plurality of rolls 22, 23, 24:, 25 and 26 may be suspended within the tank 11 by mounting them upon suitable frame members 27 suspended, at'each side of the machine,

from the horizontal beams 2. The rolls 22 and 23, 24 and 25 constitute two pairs of pressure rolls and the roll 26 serves as a guide roll. The roll 24 may be provided with a pressure-exerting means which may comprise springs 28 so mounted in suitable openings in the frame members 27 as to engage the bearings of the roll 24 and the walls of the openings in the frame members. The upper pressure roll 22 may be provided with means for adjustment relative to the roll 23 as indicated at 29. The roll 23 may have mounted upon one end of its shaft, a plurality of sprocket wheels 30, one of which is connected by a chain 31 to a similar sprocket wheel 32 mounted upon the corresponding end of the shaft of the lower pressure roll 25. The lower pressure roll 25 may have another sprocket wheel 33 mounted upon the opposite end of its shaft which may be connected, by a chain 34, to a sprocket wheel 35 mounted upon the corresponding end of the shaft of the guide roll'26.

Material which is to be treated in the machine may be drawn from a suitable supply roll 36 and guided by a suitably mounted idler roll 37 'to another guide roll 38 which is supported above the tank 11 by the horizontal beams 19. The material may be led from the guide roll 38 into the tank and beneath the guide roll 26 and out of the tank between the pressure rolls supported therein to a drying tower 39 which may be supported by the frame members -1. Asuitable idler roll 40 may be mounted within the tower 39, and the material may be drawn over it and guided to a driven roll- 41 mounted upon the beams 19 and thence over .another guide roll 42, also ,mounted upon the beams 19, to a receiving roll 43, supported by any suitable means, as indicated at 44-.

As a driving means for the various rolls employed in the machine, I may utilize an electric motor 45 which is shown in Fig. 2. The motor 45 may be connected, through any suitable drive mechanism, to a sprocket wheel 46 which is connected, by a drive chain 47, to a similar sprocket wheel 48 mounted upon the shaft 49 of the roll 41. The shaft 49 may also have mounted thereon a suitable gear wheel 50 adapted to mesh with a gear wheel 51 mounted upon the shaft of the roll 42. A sprocket wheel 52 may be mounted upon the opposite end of the'shaft 49 and may be connected, by a drive chain 53, to one of the sprocket wheels 30 of the pressure roll 23. A drive connection is thus established between the motor 45 and the rolls disposed in the tank '11. In'order to provide a driving means for the receiving roll 43, a sprocket wheel 54 may be mounted upon the shaft 49'and may be connected, by a chain 55, to a sprocket wheel 56 mounted upon a shaft 58 communicating with the shaft of the receiving roll 43 through a suitable chuck member-57. The

' shaft 58 communicating with the receiving roll may be provided with a clutch mechanism 59 which may-be employed to regulate the speed of the receiving roll.

. in operating the machine above described,

care should be taken that the impregnating liquid contained in the tank 11 shall be maintained at a level substantially represented by the pressure-exerting surfaces of ;the

upper pressure rolls 22 and 23. This may be maintained by slight adjustment of the position of the tank from time to time or by addition of impregnating liquid as it is removed by the material. Sheet material, which is to be impregnated, may be led from the supply roll 36- to the roll 38 and may then be drawn into the impregnating tank 11 under the guide roll 26. The material is led between the lower pressure rolls 24 and 25 which exert a constant pressure on both sides of the material and from there it is led between the upper pressure rolls 22 and 23 which may be adjusted to exert any desired pressure. The material emerges from the liquid to be drawn into the drying tower with the exception of the receiving roll which is also driven at the same speed except when it is necessary-to run it more slowly to obtain a more compact roll. Furthermore,

by employing a plurality of pressure rolls in the impregnating liquid, thorough impregnatlon is obtained and, by partially immersing the upper rolls, any possibility of the impre ating liquid becomin gununed on the rol s is avoided. Utilization of the pressure rolls in such manner also accelerates the operation of impregnation and renders unnecessary the employment of 'a solvent in a binder of relatively high viscosity to obtain thorough impregnation.

. I have found that heavier sheet material is applied to may be employed than was possible heretofore on account of the higher degree of impre nation obtained by the method above descri ed. The liquid is preferably employed cold and, on account of this, together with the omission of the use of a solvent, the retaining tank may be open at its top which.

facilitates the work to some extent, as the upper pressure rolls are always accessible without stopping the operation of the machine. Moreover, by employing a tank which is open at its top, the-state of the impregnating liquid may be kept under observation and the necessary height of liquid maintained with ease.

Although I have specifically described a machine for, and method of, impregnating fibrous material in accordance with my invention, it is obvious that minor changes may be made, both in the process and in the apparatus, without departing from the spirit of my invention and I desire, therefore, that no limitations shall be imposed except such as are indicated in the appended'claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for impregnating fibrous materiah means for drawingth material through a liquid impregnating agent,

means for forcing the liquid into the materialv and means for removing excess liquid at the surface thereof.

2 In an apparatus for impregnating fibrous material, means for drawing the material through a liquid impregnating agent, means for exerting a pressure upon both sides of the material beneath the surface of the liquid and means for applying additional pressure to the material at the surface of the lquid.

3. In an a paratus for impregnating fibrous materia means for drawing the material through a liquid impregnating agent, means for exerting a pressure upon both sides of the material beneath the surface of the liquid, means for applying additional pressure to the material at the surface of the liquid and means for varying the pressure.

4. In an apparatus for impregnating fibrous material, means for drawing the ma- .terial through a liquid impregnating agent, means for exerting a pressure upon both sides of the material beneath the surface. of

the liquid, means for applying additional pressure to the material at the surface of the liquid, means for varying the pressure and means for drying the impregnated material after it emerges from the liquid.

5. In an apparatus for impregnating fibrous sheet material, the combination of a tank having an open top and adapted to retain an impregnating liquid, two pairs of rolls supported within the tank, the rolls of one pair being relatively adjustable, a drying tower disposed above the tank, means for leading sheet material to the rolls in the tank and through the tower, and means for receiving the material after it has been dried.

6. In an apparatus for impregnating fibrous sheet material, the combination of a tank having an open top and adapted to retain an impregnating liquid, two pairs of rolls supported within the tank, the rolls of one pair being relatively adjustable, a drying tower disposed above the tank, means for leading sheet material to the rolls in the tank and through the tower, a means for receiving the material after it has been dried and means for controlling the speed of rotation of the said receiving means.

,7. A method of impregnating sheet material thatcmnprises passing the sheet material through a bath of impregnating liquid, applying pressure to the material while it is immersed, applying additional pressure at the surface of the bath, drying the material and winding it about areceiving mandrel.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day of April,

I LoUIs T. FREDERIC-K.. 

